The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-08-19

this time. IL is this: / nave sometimes iate- |
ly been vain enough TO think that you cared |
little about me, Doll, although am as blind
as a bat l want to ask you If it is true. You
must tell me plainly, Doll, because I cannot
see your eyes to learn the truth from them"
She turned quite pale at his words, and her
eyes rested upon his blind orbs with look Of
unutterabe tenderness. So IL had come at
last.
"Why do you ask me that question, Ernesti
Whether or no l care for you, l am very sure
that you do not care for me-"
"You are not quite right there, Doll, but 1
will tell you why l ask it, It is not out of
mere curiosity.
"You know all the history Of my life, Doll,
or at least most OF it, You know how loved
Eva and gave her all that foolish youngster
can give TO n weak woman-gave it in such a
way that l cen never have it back again.
Well, she deserted me; I have lost her The
best happiness of my life has been wrecked
beyond redemption; that is a fact that must
be accepted as much as the fact Of my blind
ness | am physically and morally crippled,
and certainly in no fit state to ask woman
to marry me on the ground of my personal
advantages But if, my dear Doll, you should,
as have sometimes thought, happen to care
Nhlhb SO WI Nhitoo, oiith Ou SoT bho
affair assumes n different aspect"
al don't quite understand you. What do
| you meanp she said in "a low voice.
"I mean that in thai case ! will ask you IL
| you will take me for husband
"You do not love me, Ernest; l should
weary you"
He felt for her hand, found it, and took 1t
| in his own. She made no resistance
"Dear," he said, "t is this way: can never
| give you that passion have given Eva, be-
cause, thank God, the human heart can give
| birth to it but once in q life; but | can and
| will give you husbands tenderest love.
| You are very dear to me, Doll, though it Is
not in the same way that Eva is dear. l
have always loved you as a sister, and I
think that ! should make you goo hus-
band. But, before you answer me, want
you to thoroughly understand about Eva.
Whether l marry or not, / fear that l
shall never be able to shake her out of my
mind. AT one time thought that perhaps il
made love to other women might be able
to do so, on the principle that one nail drives
out another But 1t was failure; for a
month or two got the better of my thoughts,
then they would get the better Of me again
Besides, to tell you the TRUTH am not quite
sure that wish to do so. My trouble about
this woman has become part of myself. 1t
where / 60 And now, dear Doll, you will
see why 1 asked you If you really cared for
me, before l asked you to marry me- IL you
do not care for me, then it will clearly not be
worth your while to marry me, for 1 am
about as poor q catch as q man can well be;
If you do, well, then it is n matter for your
constellation"
She paused while and answered:
"Suppose that the positions were reversed,
Ernest at least suppose this: Suppose that
you had loved your Eva all your life, but she
had not loved you except as a brother, having
given her heart to some other man. who was,
say, married to somebody else, or in some
way separated from her. Well, supposing
that this man died, and that one day Eva
came to you and said: Ernest, my dear,
cannot love you as l loved him who has gone,
and whom one day hope to rejoin in heaven,
but If you wish it, and it will make you the
happier, will be your true and tender wife,
and the mother of your children What
should you answer her, Ernest"
"Answerl why, suppose that / should take
her at her word, and be thankful. Why, to
hear her voice day by day would in itself be
happiness. Yes, think thus, should take
her at her word"
"And so, dear Ernest, do take you at your
word: for as it is with you about Eva, so it /!
| u
ever since have been woman have loved
you more and more, even through all thos,
cold years of absence. And when you CAM
back ali then it was to me as it would be t;
you if you suddenly once more saw the ligh
of day. Ernest, my beloved, you are all IN,
life to me, and take you Mt your word, M,
dear. l will be your wife"
He stretched out his arms, found her, drew
her to him, and kissed her on the lips.
"poll, don't deserve that you should low
me so; it makes me feel ashamed that hav
not more to give you in return"
"Ernest, you will give me all you can;
mean to make you grow very fond of me
Perhaps one day you will give me every
thing"
He hesitated little while before he spok
again.
"Doll," he said, "you are quite sure tina
you do not mind about Eva"
= "My dear Ernest, | accept Eva as a fac
and make the best of her, just as should if
wanted to marry a man with a monomani
that he was Henry VIII"
"Doll, you know l call her my evil destin,
The fact is, l am afraid of her; she owe
powers my reason. Well, now, Doll, whi
I, / am driving at is this Supposing-not thu
think she will-that she were to crop u
again and take it into her head to try al
. lltlkt u lOOl VI mel Dut sucCeeu, DOll
. ernest, will you promise me something c
y your honor"
: "Yes, DEAR
t "Promise me that you will hide from n
It nothing that passes between Eva and you
self, If anything ever should pass, and that
l this matter you will always consider me n
t IN the light Of a wife, but of a trusted friend
"Why do you ask me to promise thatf"
d because then l shall, l hope, be able
d keep you both out of trouble. You are II
}. fit to look after yourselves, either of you.n
"I promise. And now, Doll, there is ol
|, more thing. 1t is somehow fixed in my mil
that my fate and that woman's are inte
twined l believe that what we are nc
Q passing through is but single phase of int
woven existence; that we have perha
it already passed through many stages and tn
is many higher stages and developments awt
us. OF course it may be fantasy, but at al
sr rate | believe it. The question is, Do "
,r care to link your life with that of man WI
d holds such a belief"
"Enest dare say your belief is a tr
"a one, at any rate for you who believe it, for
seems probable that as we sow so shall
II reap, as we spiritually imagine so shall '
rt spiritually inherit, since causes must in til
produce effects These beliefs are not il
planted in our hearts for nothing, and sure
| Ill tlt Nlue ueuNeHS tuSlb is TOOh LOT Y
realization of them ALL But / too have 4
beliefs and one of them is, that in Gods gre
Hereafter every loving and deserving SC
90 will be with the soul thus loved and desir,
S, For him, or her at any rate, the other "
lis be there forming part of his or her Ii
n; though perhaps it may elsewhere and wi
IL others also be pursuing its own desires a
as satisfying its own aspirations. So you $
SO Ernest, your beliefs will not interfere W
IN mine, nor shall be afraid of losing you
an another place. And now, Ernest, my heal
lg love, take my hand, and let me lead y
~ home; take my hand as you have taken l
e, heart, and never let go Of it again till at /
RI die"
n And so hand in hand they went hol
together, through the lights and shadows
'o- the twilight.
ng CHAPTER XXXIX.